Systems for depositing coatings on surfaces and associated methods

ABSTRACT

Systems for depositing coatings onto surfaces of molds and other articles are generally provided. In some embodiments, a system is adapted and arranged to cause gaseous species to flow parallel to a filament array. In some embodiments, a system comprises one or more mold supports that are translatable.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/977,481, filed May 11, 2018, and entitled “Systems for DepositingCoatings on Surfaces and Associated Methods”, which claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/505,781,filed May 12, 2017, and entitled “Systems for Depositing Coatings onSurfaces and Associated Methods”, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

Systems for depositing coatings onto surfaces of molds and relatedarticles and methods are generally provided.

BACKGROUND

Coatings disposed on mold surfaces may have one or more beneficialfeatures, such as facilitating the removal of parts from the molds. Thecoatings may be formed by methods involving polymerization of a gaseousspecies on the mold surface. However, these methods may result in theformation of uneven coatings and may result in waste of a portion of thereactants.

Accordingly, improved systems and methods for coating surfaces areneeded.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally provides systems for depositingcoatings onto surfaces of molds and related articles, and relatedmethods. The subject matter described herein involves, in some cases,interrelated products, alternative solutions to a particular problem,and/or a plurality of different uses of one or more systems and/orarticles.

In one aspect, systems for depositing coatings on surfaces of molds areprovided. The system may comprise a deposition chamber, a mold supportadapted and arranged to support the mold in the deposition chamber, agas inlet port adapted and arranged to introduce a gaseous species intothe deposition chamber, and a filament assembly. The filament assemblymay comprise a first frame portion, a second frame portion, a thirdframe portion positioned between and connecting the first frame portionand the second frame portion, and a plurality of filaments extendingbetween the first frame portion and the second frame portion to form anon-planar filament array. The filament array, the filament assembly,and the gas inlet may be positioned so to cause the gaseous species toflow in a direction substantially parallel to each of the plurality offilaments in the filament array.

In some embodiments, a system comprises a deposition chamber, a moldsupport adapted and arranged to support the mold in the depositionchamber, a gas inlet port adapted and arranged to introduce a gaseousspecies into the deposition chamber, and a filament assembly. Thefilament assembly may comprise a first frame portion, a second frameportion, a third frame portion positioned between and connecting thefirst frame portion and the second frame portion, and a plurality offilaments extending between the first frame portion and the second frameportion to form a non-planar filament array. The filament assembly maybe positioned between the third frame portion and the mold support, thethird frame portion may have approximately the same shape as thenon-planar filament array, and/or the third frame portion may bepositioned at a distance of between about 0.1 and 5.0 inches away fromthe filament array.

In some embodiments, a system comprises a deposition chamber adapted andarranged to contain a first mold or a second mold, a first mold supportadapted and arranged to support the first mold, a second mold supportadapted and arranged to support the second mold, a gas inlet portadapted and arranged to introduce a gaseous species into the depositionchamber, and a filament assembly. The first mold support may betranslatable from a first position to a second position, and/or thesecond mold support may be translatable from a third position to thesecond position. In some embodiments, the second position is alignedwith the deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the filament assemblycomprises a first frame portion, a second frame portion, a third frameportion positioned between and connecting the first frame portion andthe second frame portion, and a plurality of filaments extending betweenthe first frame portion and the second frame portion to form anon-planar filament array.

Certain embodiments are related to methods for forming conformalcoatings on a mold. In some embodiments, a method comprises flowing agaseous species parallel to the plurality of filaments in a system anddepositing a conformal coating onto the mold. The coating may comprise apolymer formed from the gaseous species.

Other advantages and novel features of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of various non-limitingembodiments of the invention when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying figures. In cases where the present specification and adocument incorporated by reference include conflicting and/orinconsistent disclosure, the present specification shall control. If twoor more documents incorporated by reference include conflicting and/orinconsistent disclosure with respect to each other, then the documenthaving the later effective date shall control.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention will be described byway of example with reference to the accompanying figures, which areschematic and are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the figures,each identical or nearly identical component illustrated is typicallyrepresented by a single numeral. For purposes of clarity, not everycomponent is labeled in every figure, nor is every component of eachembodiment of the invention shown where illustration is not necessary toallow those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention. Inthe figures:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising a gas inlet port, a filament assembly, and a moldsupport;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem in which a gas inlet port and a filament assembly are positionedso as to cause a gaseous species to flow in a direction substantiallyparallel to the filaments in the filament assembly;

FIG. 3A shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising a mold, a filament assembly, and a gas inlet port;

FIG. 3B shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising a mold and a filament assembly;

FIG. 3C shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising a mold and a filament assembly;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of afilament assembly;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem in which a filament assembly and a gas inlet port are positionedso as to cause a gaseous species to flow parallel to central axis of thefilament array;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising a filament array, a mold support, a mold, a gas inletport and a deposition chamber;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising a filament array, a mold support, a mold, a gas inletport and a deposition chamber;

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B show schematic depictions of non-limitingembodiments of systems for depositing coatings on the surfaces of molds;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of acylindrical mold comprising vent ports;

FIG. 10A-FIG. 10H show schematic depictions of non-limiting embodimentsof systems comprising translatable mold supports; and

FIG. 11 shows a schematic depiction of a non-limiting embodiment of asystem comprising translatable mold supports.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments are related to systems for depositing coatings ontosurfaces of molds. Some systems comprise a mold support, a gas inletport, and a filament assembly comprising a plurality of filaments. Insome embodiments, the mold support, gas inlet port, and filamentassembly may be positioned to allow for advantageous flow of a gaseousspecies over the mold and the filament assembly. For example, the moldsupport, gas inlet port, and filament assembly may be positioned so asto cause the gaseous species to flow in a direction substantiallyparallel to each of the plurality of filaments. As a second example, themold support, gas inlet port, and filament assembly may be positioned soas to cause a gaseous species to flow in a substantially verticaldirection. As a third example, the filament array may be positionedbetween a frame portion of the filament assembly and the mold support,and/or may be positioned at a distance of between about 0.1 inches andabout 5 inches from the filament array. As a fourth example, thefilament array may be positioned between a frame portion of the filamentassembly and the mold support, and/or may be positioned at a distance ofbetween about 0.1 inches and about 5 inches from the frame portion ofthe filament assembly. In some embodiments, the mold support, gas inletport, and filament assembly may be positioned to allow for flow of agaseous species over a mold with a geometry that may otherwise bechallenging to coat, such as a non-planar mold. For instance, one ormore of the mold support, gas inlet port, and filament assembly may benon-planar, and/or may have substantially the same shape as thenon-planar mold. In some embodiments, the mold support, gas inlet port,and filament assembly may be positioned so as to cause a gaseous speciesto flow in a direction substantially parallel to a surface of anon-planar mold and/or cause a gaseous species to flow substantiallyuniformly over a surface of a non-planar mold. Systems adapted andarranged to cause a gaseous species to flow in one or more of themanners described herein may promote the formation of coatings from thegaseous species that have high quality and/or high uniformity.

In some embodiments, a system for depositing a coating onto a surface ofa mold may comprise one or more portions that may be translated betweentwo or more positions. For instance, a system may comprise a moldsupport or mold supports that may be translated between a first positionand a second position, and/or between a second position and a thirdposition. Different positions may be adapted and arranged to be suitablefor different operations performed during mold coating. For example, oneor more positions may be suitable for preparing a mold to be coated, oneor more positions may be suitable for depositing a coating onto a moldsurface, and/or one or more positions may be suitable for removing acoated mold from the system. Some positions may be suitable for morethan one function, such as being suitable for both preparing a mold tobe coated and for removing a coated mold from the system. In some cases,a system comprising at least two mold supports that are translatable andmay allow an operator to simultaneously prepare a mold for coating andcoat a mold that has been prepared. For example, the operator mayprepare a first mold for a coating process while it is disposed on afirst mold support in a first position while performing a coatingprocess on a second mold disposed on a second mold support in a secondposition. At the conclusion of the coating process, the operator maytranslate the second mold to a third position and the first mold to thesecond position. The operator may then coat the second mold whileremoving the first mold from the system and/or while preparing a thirdmold for coating. In cases where the time required preparation of a moldfor coating and removal of a coated mold is on the order of or less thanthe amount of time required to coat the mold, substantial increases inefficiency and throughput may be obtained.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system 1000 for coating a mold, comprisingmold support 100, filament assembly 200, and gas inlet port 300. In someembodiments, a system such as that shown in FIG. 1 may be employed toform a coating on a mold supported by a mold support 100 by introducinga gaseous species through gas inlet port 300, flowing it by filamentassembly 200, thereby depositing a coating comprising a reaction productof the gaseous species on the mold. Individual components of the systemand method steps are described herein. It should also be understood thatthe arrangement of system components may be different than that thatdepicted in FIG. 1 , and that systems described herein may furthercomprise additional components not shown in FIG. 1 or may not compriseone or more of the components shown in FIG. 1 .

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a gas inlet port and afilament assembly comprising a plurality of filaments. The gas inletport and the filament assembly may be positioned so as to cause agaseous species to flow in a direction substantially parallel to each ofthe plurality of filaments. FIG. 2 shows a non-limiting embodiment of asystem 2000 in which gas inlet port 300 and filament assembly 200comprising filament 210 and first frame portion 220 are positioned so asto cause a gaseous species to flow in a direction substantially parallelto filament 210. As indicated by arrow 190, the gaseous speciesintroduced by the gas inlet port may flow upwards to the bottom of thefirst frame portion. The first frame portion may block the gaseousspecies from flowing directly upwards, and/or may direct the gaseousspecies laterally. The gaseous species may then flow laterally acrossthe bottom of the first frame portion until it reaches its edge. At thispoint, the gaseous species may once again flow upwards. If the pluralityof filaments are oriented vertically, the upwardly flowing gaseousspecies will flow in a direction substantially parallel to each filamentin the plurality of filaments.

Other positions of a filament assembly, components thereof, and a gasinlet port with respect to each other are also possible. For example, insome embodiments the plurality of filaments may be oriented horizontallyinstead of vertically.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a filament assemblycomprising a first frame portion, a second frame portion, a third frameportion, and a plurality of filaments. The plurality of filaments mayextend between the first frame portion and the second frame portion toform a filament array. The third frame portion may be positioned betweenthe first frame portion and the second frame portion and/or may connectthe first frame portion to the second frame portion. FIG. 3A shows anon-limiting embodiment of a system 3000 comprising mold 400, filamentassembly 200, and gas inlet port 300. Filament assembly 200 comprisesfirst frame portion 220, second frame portion 230, third frame portion240, and filament 210. The third frame portion may be spaced a selecteddistance from the filament, such as distance 488 in FIG. 3A. In someembodiments, the plurality of filaments may be positioned between thethird frame portion and the mold. In FIG. 3A, filament 210 is positioneddistance 490 from the mold 400. This arrangement may cause a gaseousspecies present in the system to flow in an advantageous manner. Forinstance, the gaseous species may flow in a direction substantiallyparallel to the plurality of filaments, as shown by arrow 192 in FIG.3A. In some embodiments, the gaseous species introduced by the gas inletport may flow upwards across the filaments between the third frameportion and the mold. In some embodiments, a system as described hereinmay comprise a filament array that is non-planar. That is, there may notbe a single plane in which all of the filaments in the filament arrayare disposed. For example, the filament array may be substantiallycylindrical, substantially cuboid, or may have any other suitable shape.In some embodiments, the filament array may have substantially the sameshape as a mold to be coated. For example, the mold may have anon-planar shape and the filament assembly may have substantially thesame non-planar shape. Certain molds may be cylindrical, and may becoated in systems comprising cylindrical filament arrays. FIG. 4 showsone non-limiting embodiment of a filament assembly comprising anon-planar filament array that has a cylindrical shape. In this Figure,filament assembly 200 comprises filament array 210 extending betweenfirst frame portion 220 and second frame portion 230, and third frameportion 240. It should be appreciated that FIG. 4 is exemplary, and thatother orientations of the filament array with respect to the filamentassembly are also possible. For example, in some embodiments thefilaments in the filament array may be oriented circumferentially arounda cylindrical filament assembly. In some embodiments, the plurality offilaments may be oriented substantially perpendicular to one or morecomponents of the filament assembly and/or the system, such as the firstframe portion, the second frame portion, and/or a mold support.

It should be understood that while many of the embodiments describedherein include filament arrays that are cylindrical, this is by no meanslimiting and a person of ordinary skill in the art would be able toapply the teachings described herein to other shapes.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a filament array that is onecomponent of a filament assembly. The filament assembly may comprise afirst frame portion, a second frame portion, and a third frame portionin addition to the filament array. The third frame portion and/or theplurality of filaments may extend between the first frame portion andthe second frame portion. For example, first frame portion and thesecond frame portions may be the end of a cylinder, the third frameportion may be the center of the cylinder, and the plurality offilaments may extend between the first frame portion and the secondframe portion. In some embodiments, the third frame portion has asmaller radius than the circular shape formed by the plurality offilaments. The third frame portion may be solid, semi-solid, or may behollow. For example, in some embodiments, the third frame portion maycomprise a cylinder surface that extends between the first frame portionand the second frame portion, and the space inside the circular planarsurface may be hollow. In other embodiments, the third frame portion maybe solid.

In some embodiments, the filament assembly may comprise both anon-planar filament array and a non-planar third frame portion. Forexample, the filament assembly may comprise a third frame portion thathas substantially the same shape as the non-planar filament array. Insome such embodiments, the third frame portion may be positioned insidethe non-planar filament array, or the non-planar filament array maysurround the third frame portion. In some embodiments, the filamentassembly may be positioned concentrically around the third frameportion.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a filament assembly and a gasinlet port that is positioned so as to cause a gaseous species to flowin a direction substantially parallel to a central axis of the filamentarray, or an axis around which the filaments in the array aresymmetrically positioned. FIG. 5 shows one example of system 3500 inwhich filament assembly 200 and gas inlet port 300 are positioned so asto cause a gaseous species to flow parallel to central axis 180 of thefilament array as shown by arrow 194. It should be noted that thefilaments may have any orientation with respect to a central axis. Forexample, the filaments may be parallel to the central axis. Or, thefilaments may wrap around the central axis concentrically. In someembodiments, as will be described further below, one or more additionalportions of the system may also promote gas flow parallel to a centralaxis of the filament array or may together with the gas inlet portpromote gas flow parallel to a central axis of the filament array. Suchcomponents may include molds, mold supports, baffles, and/or gas outletports.

In some embodiments, the third frame portion may be positioned at anadvantageous distance from the filament array. In some embodiments, thethird frame portion may be positioned at a distance of greater than orequal to 0.1 inches, greater than or equal to 0.2 inches, greater thanor equal to 0.5 inches, greater than or equal to 1.0 inch, greater thanor equal to 1.5 inches, greater than or equal to 2.0 inches, greaterthan or equal to 2.5 inches, greater than or equal to 3.0 inches,greater than or equal to 3.5 inches, greater than or equal to 4.0inches, or greater than or equal to 4.5 inches on average for eachfilament of the filament array. In some embodiments, the third frameportion may be positioned at a distance of less than or equal to 5.0inches, less than or equal to 4.5 inches, less than or equal to 4.0inches, less than or equal to 3.5 inches, less than or equal to 3.0inches, less than or equal to 2.5 inches, less than or equal to 2.0inches, less than or equal to 1.5 inches, less than or equal to 1.0inch, less than or equal to 0.5 inches, less than or equal to 0.4inches, less than or equal to 0.3 inches, or less than or equal to 0.2inches on average from each filament of the filament array. Combinationsof the above-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than orequal to 0.1 inches and less than or equal to 5.0 inches, or greaterthan or equal to 1.5 inches and less than or equal to 5.0 inches). Otherranges are also possible. In some embodiments, each filament in thefilament array may be positioned at a distance from the third frameportion that is substantially the same (e.g., the standard deviation ofthe distance between the third frame portion and the plurality offilaments in the filament array is less than or equal to 10%, less thanor equal to 5%, less than or equal to 2%, or less than or equal to 1% ofthe distance between the third frame portion and the plurality offilaments). In some embodiments, different filaments in the filamentarray may be positioned at substantially different distances from thethird frame portion.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a mold and a filamentassembly comprising a plurality of filaments forming a filament array,and the mold may be positioned at an advantageous distance from thefilament array. In some embodiments, the filament array and the mold mayhave substantially the same shape. For example, both the filament arrayand the mold may be substantially cylindrical. In some embodiments, thefilament array is positioned inside of the mold (e.g., the filamentarray has a smaller diameter than the mold). The mold may be positionedat a distance of greater than or equal to 0.1 inches, greater than orequal to 0.2 inches, greater than or equal to 0.3 inches, greater thanor equal to 0.4 inches, greater than or equal to 0.5 inches, greaterthan or equal to 1.0 inch, greater than or equal to 1.5 inches, greaterthan or equal to 2.0 inches, greater than or equal to 2.5 inches,greater than or equal to 3.0 inches, greater than or equal to 3.5inches, greater than or equal to 4.0 inches, or greater than or equal to4.5 inches on average from each of the filaments in the filament array.In some embodiments, the mold is positioned at a distance of less thanor equal to 5.0 inches, less than or equal to 4.5 inches, less than orequal to 4.0 inches, less than or equal to 3.5 inches, less than orequal to 3.0 inches, less than or equal to 2.5 inches, less than orequal to 2.0 inches, less than or equal to 1.5 inches, less than orequal to 1.0 inch, less than or equal to 0.5 inches, less than or equalto 0.4 inches, less than or equal to 0.3 inches, or less than or equalto 0.2 inches on average from each of the filaments in the filamentarray. Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible(e.g., greater than or equal to 0.1 inches and less than or equal to 5.0inches, greater than or equal to 0.1 inches and less than or equal to4.0 inches). Other ranges are also possible. In some embodiments, eachfilament in the filament array may be positioned at a distance from amold that is substantially the same (e.g., the standard deviation of thedistance between the mold and the plurality of filaments in the filamentarray is less than or equal to 10%, less than or equal to 5%, less thanor equal to 2%, or less than or equal to 1% of the distance between themold and the plurality of filaments). In some embodiments, differentfilaments in the filament array may be positioned at substantiallydifferent distances from the mold.

It should be understood that the ranges described above for the distancebetween the filament array and the mold may refer to distances betweenfilament arrays with a variety of shapes and sizes and molds with avariety of shapes and sizes. Similarly, the ranges for the standarddeviation of the distance between the mold and the plurality offilaments in the filament array may refer to standard deviations ofdistances between filament arrays with a variety of shapes and sizes andmolds with a variety of shapes and sizes.

In some embodiments, the mold and the filament array may havecross-sections similar to those shown in FIG. 3A. In other words,certain molds and filaments may be separated by a distance that isrelatively constant across each filament in the filament array. As shownin more detail in FIG. 3B as distances 490A, 490B, and 490C, in certainembodiments, distance 490 between filament 210 and mold 400 isrelatively constant. Distance 490A between portion 210A of filament 210and portion 400A of mold 400, distance 490B between portion 210B offilament 210 and portion 400B of mold 400, and distance 490C betweenportion 210C of filament 210 and portion 400C of mold 400 areapproximately equal. In systems comprising molds and filaments withgeometries similar to those shown in FIG. 3B, the maximum distancebetween the filament array and the mold, the minimum distance betweenthe filament array and the mold, and the average distance between thefilament array and the mold are also equivalent.

In some embodiments, a mold and/or a filament array have a shape and/orsize other than that shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. For instance, a moldmay comprise one or more portions that are concave and/or may compriseone or more portions that are convex. In FIG. 3C, system 3200 comprisesfilament assembly 200 and mold 420. System 3200 may comprise furtherfeatures that are not shown in FIG. 3C, such as a gas inlet port.Filament assembly 200 comprises first frame portion 220, second frameportion 230, third frame portion 240, and filament 210. Mold 420 isconcave, and so the distance between mold 420 and filament 210 variesacross filament 210. By way of example, distance 490A between portion210A of filament 210 and portion 420A of mold 420 is different fromdistance 490B between portion 210B of filament 210 and portion 420B ofmold 420. Distance 490B is different from distance 490C between portion210C of filament 210 and portion 420C of mold 420. For mold 420,distance 490A is equivalent distance 490C. However, for certain moldscomprising concave portions and/or convex portions, distance 490A may bedifferent from distance 490C.

For molds comprising concave and/or convex portions, the distancebetween the mold and the filament assembly referred to above should beunderstood to refer to one or more of the following distances: anaverage maximum distance between the filament array and the mold, anaverage minimum distance between the filament array and the mold, anaverage distance between the filament array and the mold, an averagedistance between any specific portion of the filament array and the mold(e.g., an average distance of a portion of the filament arrayequidistant from the first and second frame portions and the mold), orany distance between any portion of the filament array and the mold. Theaverage maximum distance between the filament array and the mold may bedetermined by determining the maximum distance between the filamentarray and the mold for each filament (e.g., distance 490B in FIG. 3C)and then averaging this distance over all of the filaments in thefilament array. The average minimum distance between the filament arrayand the mold may be determined by determining the minimum distancebetween the filament array and the mold for each filament (e.g.,distance 490A or distance 490C in FIG. 3C) and then averaging thisdistance over all of the filaments in the filament array. The averagedistance between the filament array and the mold may be determined byaveraging the distance between the filament array and the mold over eachfilament (e.g., averaging distances 490A, 490B, 490C, and every otherdistance between the filament array and the mold over the length offilament 210) and then averaging this distance over all of the filamentsin the filament array.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a filament assemblycomprising a plurality of filaments forming a filament array, and thefilaments in the filament array may be positioned at an advantageousdistance from each nearest neighbor. In some embodiments, an averagedistance between each filament in the filament array and its nearestneighbor may be greater than or equal to 0.1 inches, greater than orequal to 0.25 inches, greater than or equal to 0.5 inches, greater thanor equal to 0.75 inches, greater than or equal to 1 inch, greater thanor equal to 1.25 inches, greater than or equal to 1.5 inches, greaterthan or equal to 1.75 inches, greater than or equal to 2 inches, orgreater than or equal to 2.25 inches. In some embodiments, an averagedistance between each filament in the filament array and its nearestneighbor may be less than or equal to 2.5 inches, less than or equal to2.25 inches, less than or equal to 2 inches, less than or equal to 1.75inches, less than or equal to 1.5 inches, less than or equal to 1.25inches, less than or equal to 1 inch, less than or equal to 0.75 inches,less than or equal to 0.5 inches, or less than or equal to 0.25 inches.Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g.,greater than or equal to 0.1 inches and less than or equal to 2.5inches). Other ranges are also possible.

In some embodiments, each filament in a filament array may be positionedat a distance from its nearest neighbor that is substantially the same(e.g., the standard deviation of the distance between each filament andits nearest neighbor is less than or equal to 10%, less than or equal to5%, less than or equal to 2%, or less than or equal to 1% of thedistance between the each filament and its nearest neighbor). In someembodiments, different filaments in the filament array may be positionedat substantially different distances from its nearest neighbor.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a filament assemblycomprising a plurality of filaments forming a filament array, and thefilaments in the filament array may be positioned at the outer edge ofthe filament assembly and/or along the circumference of the filamentassembly. In some embodiments, the filament assembly may besubstantially cylindrical, and the filament array may form thenon-circular side of the filament assembly.

In some embodiments, the filament array may be designed and positionedto provide uniform elevated temperature conditions in the vicinity ofthe mold surfaces to be coated. The filaments may be a wires which areheated by resistive heating. For example, the filaments may be connectedto a DC voltage source and electrical ground. Suitable filamentmaterials include highly resistive metals such as tantalum, tungsten,rhenium, copper alloys, and nickel-chromium, amongst others. Thefilaments may have any suitable geometry. In some cases, it ispreferable that the filament geometry is serpentine over a relativelylarge area to provide uniform heating in the vicinity of the moldsurfaces. However, other filament geometries (e.g., coils) are alsopossible.

In some embodiments, one or more dimensions of a filament assembly maybe adjusted by an operator. For example, the filament assembly maycomprise first and second frame portions that may be translated withrespect to each other. The first and second frame portion may beconnected by one or more spring assemblies that allow the distancebetween them to be adjusted. The spring assembly may include a springdisposed around a rod. The first and/or second portions can slide alongthe rod to increase or decrease the distance between the first andsecond frame portions over which the filament segments extend tocompensate for the expansion/contraction of the filament segments duringheating and cooling. Thus, in some embodiments, the spring assemblyenables self-adjustment of this distance. Other methods for adjustingthe distance between the first and second frame portions are alsopossible.

In some embodiments, one or more filaments within a filament array maybe connected to the filament assembly by pins. The pins may be arrangedwithin the first and second frame portions to move back and forth, whichallows for additional control over the distance between the filamentarray and the mold surface.

In some embodiments, a filament assembly may comprise a first frameportion and a second frame portion that are separated by a distance ofgreater than or equal to 12 inches, greater than or equal to 15 inches,greater than or equal to 17.5 inches, greater than or equal to 20inches, greater than or equal to 22.5 inches, greater than or equal to25 inches, or greater than or equal to 27.5 inches. In some embodiments,the first frame portion and second frame portion are separated by adistance of less than or equal to 30 inches, less than or equal to 27.5inches, less than or equal to 25 inches, less than or equal to 22.5inches, less than or equal to 20 inches, less than or equal to 17.5inches, or less than or equal to 15 inches. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 12 inches and less than or equal to 20 inches, or greater than orequal to 12 inches and less than or equal to 30 inches). Other rangesare also possible.

In some embodiments, a filament assembly may comprise a first frameportion with a diameter of greater than or equal to 8 inches, greaterthan or equal to 10 inches, greater than or equal to 15 inches, greaterthan or equal to 20 inches, greater than or equal to 25 inches, greaterthan or equal to 30 inches, or greater than or equal to 35 inches. Insome embodiments, a filament assembly may comprise a first frame portionwith a diameter of less than or equal to 40 inches, less than or equalto 35 inches, less than or equal to 30 inches, less than or equal to 25inches, less than or equal to 20 inches, less than or equal to 15inches, or less than or equal to 10 inches. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 8 inches and less than or equal to 40 inches). Other ranges are alsopossible. As used herein, the diameter of the first frame portion isgiven its ordinary meaning for substantially cylindrical first frameportions. The diameter of a first frame portion with a non-cylindricalshape is the diameter of a cylindrical first frame portion with the sameheight and volume as the first frame portion with the non-cylindricalshape.

In some embodiments, a filament assembly may comprise a second frameportion with a diameter of greater than or equal to 8 inches, greaterthan or equal to 10 inches, greater than or equal to 15 inches, greaterthan or equal to 20 inches, greater than or equal to 25 inches, greaterthan or equal to 30 inches, or greater than or equal to 35 inches. Insome embodiments, a filament assembly may comprise a second frameportion with a diameter of less than or equal to 40 inches, less than orequal to 35 inches, less than or equal to 30 inches, less than or equalto 25 inches, less than or equal to 20 inches, less than or equal to 15inches, or less than or equal to 10 inches. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 8 inches and less than or equal to 40 inches). Other ranges are alsopossible. As used herein, the diameter of the second frame portion isgiven its ordinary meaning for substantially cylindrical second frameportions. The diameter of a second frame portion with a non-cylindricalshape is the diameter of a cylindrical second frame portion with thesame height and volume as the second frame portion with thenon-cylindrical shape.

In certain embodiments, as described above, a filament assembly asdescribed herein may be positioned within a system for depositing acoating onto a surface of a mold. FIG. 6 shows a cross-section of onenon-limiting example of a system 4000 adapted and arranged for thispurpose, which includes mold support 100, filament assembly 200, gasinlet port 300, mold 400 disposed on the mold support, and depositionchamber 500. Deposition chamber 500 may be lowered such that it enclosesthe filament assembly and the mold. The deposition chamber may form avacuum-tight seal or gas-tight seal with the mold support, and may allowfor reduced pressures to be maintained during coating deposition. Insome embodiments, a gaseous species may flow through the depositionchamber as indicated by arrow 196. For example, the gaseous species maybe introduced into the system by the gas inlet port, flow by thefilament array, and flow out of the deposition chamber. In someembodiments, at least a portion of the gas flow may be substantiallyparallel to the filament assembly and/or substantially parallel to acentral axis of the filament assembly.

It should be understood that the geometries shown in FIG. 6 areexemplary, and that certain embodiments comprise one or more componentswith different geometries than that shown in FIG. 6 . As an example, asystem may comprise a mold support that is not a cylindrical disk, thatincludes one or more portions positioned concentrically around the mold,that includes a central aperture, has more than one component, or hasany other suitable morphology. In some embodiments, a system maycomprise a mold that lacks a portion positioned beneath the filamentassembly, and/or that includes one or more portions positionedconcentrically around the filament assembly. In some embodiments, a moldsupport comprises at least one portion positioned beneath the filamentassembly and at least one portion positioned concentrically around thefilament assembly. In other words, certain mold assemblies comprise aportion positioned with respect to the filament assembly shown in FIG. 1and a portion positioned with respect to the filament assembly shown inFIG. 6 .

In some embodiments, one or more portions of the system may bepositioned with respect to one or more other components in anadvantageous manner. For example, in some embodiments a mold may bepositioned concentrically around a filament assembly. As second example,the deposition chamber may be positioned around a central axis of thesystem and/or positioned around the mold. As a third example, thefilament assembly may be positioned concentrically around a center ofthe deposition chamber and/or positioned concentrically around a centralaxis of the system. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it isbelieved that one or more of these features may promote relatively evengas flow throughout the chamber and past the filaments, which maypromote the formation of uniform coatings and/or may result in a smalleramount of wasted gaseous species than other configurations.

For instance, a mold positioned concentrically around a filament arraythat is positioned concentrically around a third frame portion of afilament assembly may provide a gas flow pathway with a donut-shapedcross-section, which may be advantageous for promoting gas flow parallelto a filament assembly and/or a central axis thereof. This design maypromote a more beneficial flow of gas than other designs in which gasflows outwardly through the filament assembly, e.g., from a sourcepositioned at the center of a non-planar filament array or along acentral axis of the non-planar filament array. FIG. 7 shows one exampleof a perspective view of a less desirable system 4400, where gas inletport 300 is adapted and arranged to cause gas to flow outwards fromcentral axis 182 (or perpendicular to the central axis) as shown byarrows 198. This design is less desirable because it does not result inthe formation of coatings that are as uniform as those produced by othersystems described herein, and wastes a larger amount of gas than othersystems described herein.

In some embodiments, a system as described herein may have a designsimilar to that shown in FIG. 8A or in FIG. 8B. Each Figure shows asystem comprising mold support 100, filament assembly 200, gas inletport 300, mold 400 disposed on the mold support, and deposition chamber500. FIGS. 8A and 8B also show baffles 600 and outlet 700. The bafflesmay help direct the flow of gas around the chamber. The outlet providesa pathway through which the gaseous species can exit the depositionchamber.

Further properties of different system components will be described infurther detail below.

As described above, certain embodiments relate to a system for coating amold and/or to a system that comprises a mold, such as a tire mold. Insome embodiments, the mold may be non-planar. For example, the mold maybe a cylindrical mold, a cuboid mold, or a mold of any other shape. Insome embodiments, the system may be adapted and arranged to coat aninterior surface of a non-planar mold, such as an interior surface of asubstantially cylindrical mold (e.g., the interior surface of a tiremold). The mold and any portions thereof to be coated may have anysuitable geometry and functionality. In some embodiments, the portion ofthe mold to be coated may be a surface of the mold which forms the treadof the tire during the molding process. In some embodiments, the portionof the mold coated may be the surface which forms the sidewall of thetire during the molding process. Filament design and spacing, flowbaffling, and gas inlet and outlet design may be selected to provideoptimal flow and coating deposition depending on mold features such asthose listed above. It should be understood that in some embodiments themold may lack tire treads and/or tire sidewalls, and that other portionsof the mold may be coated in addition to or instead of the portionsdescribed above.

In some embodiments, the mold may have one or more advantageousfeatures. For example, the mold may comprise one or more vent ports.FIG. 9 shows one non-limiting example of a cross-section of cylindricalmold 400 comprising vent ports 410. The vent ports may be holes whichare open to the ambient to release vapor during use of the mold. Forexample, during vulcanization for tire molds. The vent ports may haveany suitable diameter. In some embodiments, the vent ports have adiameter of greater than or equal to 10 microns, greater than or equalto 20 microns, greater than or equal to 50 microns, greater than orequal to 100 microns, greater than or equal to 200 microns, greater thanor equal to 500 microns, greater than or equal to 1 mm, greater than orequal to 2 mm, or greater than or equal to 5 mm. In some embodiments,the vent ports have a diameter of less than or equal to 1 cm, less thanor equal to 5 mm, less than or equal to 2 mm, less than or equal to 1mm, less than or equal to 500 microns, less than or equal to 200microns, less than or equal to 100 microns, less than or equal to 50microns, or less than or equal to 20 microns. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 10 microns and less than or equal to 1 cm, or greater than or equalto 10 microns and less than or equal to 5 mm). Other ranges are alsopossible.

In some embodiments, the system may be adapted and arranged to coat amold without clogging any vent ports therein. In other words, the ventports may not be substantially occluded during deposition of a coating,such as a conformal coating. For example, the system may be adapted andarranged to coat the mold such that the vent holes have greater than orequal to 50%, greater than or equal to 75%, greater than or equal to90%, greater than or equal to 95%, greater than or equal to 97.5%, orgreater than or equal to 99% of their initial volume at the conclusionof the coating process.

The mold may have any suitable dimensions that provide the desiredproduct. For example, the mold may be sized to produce a product (e.g.,a tire) having a width of greater than or equal to 100 mm, greater thanor equal to 150 mm, greater than or equal to 200 mm, greater than orequal to 250 mm, greater than or equal to 300 mm, greater than or equalto 350 mm, greater than or equal to 400 mm, greater than or equal to 450mm, greater than or equal to 500 mm, greater than or equal to 550 mm,greater than or equal to 600 mm, or greater than or equal to 650 mm. Themold may be sized to produce a product having a width of less than orequal to 700 mm, less than or equal to 650 mm, less than or equal to 600mm, less than or equal to 550 mm, less than or equal to 500 mm, lessthan or equal to 450 mm, less than or equal to 400 mm, less than orequal to 350 mm, less than or equal to 300 mm, less than or equal to 250mm, less than or equal to 200 mm, or less than or equal to 150 mm.Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g.,greater than or equal to 150 mm and less than or equal to 500 mm, orgreater than or equal to 100 mm and less than or equal to 700 mm). Otherranges are also possible.

In some embodiments, the mold may have a largest cross-sectionaldimension of greater than or equal to 350 mm, greater than or equal to400 mm, greater than or equal to 450 mm, greater than or equal to 500mm, greater than or equal to 550 mm, greater than or equal to 600 mm,greater than or equal to 650 mm, greater than or equal to 700 mm,greater than or equal to 750 mm, greater than or equal to 800 mm,greater than or equal to 850 mm, greater than or equal to 900 mm,greater than or equal to 950 mm, greater than or equal to 1000 mm,greater than or equal to 1050 mm, greater than or equal to 1100 mm,greater than or equal to 1150 mm, greater than or equal to 1200 mm,greater than or equal to 1250 mm, greater than or equal to 1300 mm,greater than or equal to 1350 mm, greater than or equal to 1400 mm,greater than or equal to 1450 mm, greater than or equal to 1500 mm,greater than or equal to 1550 mm, greater than or equal to 1600 mm,greater than or equal to 1650 mm, greater than or equal to 1700 mm,greater than or equal to 1750 mm, greater than or equal to 1800 mm,greater than or equal to 1850 mm, greater than or equal to 1900 mm, orgreater than or equal to 1950 mm. The mold may have a largestcross-sectional dimension of less than or equal to 2000 mm, less than orequal to 1950 mm, less than or equal to 1900 mm, less than or equal to1850 mm, less than or equal to 1800 mm, less than or equal to 1750 mm,less than or equal to 1700 mm, less than or equal to 1650 mm, less thanor equal to 1600 mm, less than or equal to 1550 mm, less than or equalto 1500 mm, less than or equal to 1450 mm, less than or equal to 1400mm, less than or equal to 1350 mm, less than or equal to 1300 mm, lessthan or equal to 1250 mm, less than or equal to 1200 mm, less than orequal to 1150 mm, less than or equal to 1100 mm, less than or equal to1050 mm, less than or equal to 1000 mm, less than or equal to 950 mm,less than or equal to 900 mm, less than or equal to 850 mm, less than orequal to 800 mm, less than or equal to 750 mm, less than or equal to 700mm, less than or equal to 650 mm, less than or equal to 600 mm, lessthan or equal to 550 mm, less than or equal to 500 mm, less than orequal to 450 mm, or less than or equal to 400 mm. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 350 mm and less than or equal to 2000 mm). Other ranges are alsopossible. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional dimension is thediameter of the mold (e.g., in the case of a substantially cylindricalmold).

In some embodiments, a mold may have a diameter of greater than or equalto 350 mm, greater than or equal to 400 mm, greater than or equal to 450mm, greater than or equal to 500 mm, greater than or equal to 550 mm,greater than or equal to 600 mm, greater than or equal to 650 mm,greater than or equal to 700 mm, greater than or equal to 750 mm,greater than or equal to 800 mm, greater than or equal to 850 mm,greater than or equal to 900 mm, greater than or equal to 950 mm,greater than or equal to 1000 mm, greater than or equal to 1050 mm,greater than or equal to 1100 mm, greater than or equal to 1150 mm,greater than or equal to 1200 mm, greater than or equal to 1250 mm,greater than or equal to 1300 mm, greater than or equal to 1350 mm,greater than or equal to 1400 mm, greater than or equal to 1450 mm,greater than or equal to 1500 mm, greater than or equal to 1550 mm,greater than or equal to 1600 mm, greater than or equal to 1650 mm,greater than or equal to 1700 mm, greater than or equal to 1750 mm,greater than or equal to 1800 mm, greater than or equal to 1850 mm,greater than or equal to 1900 mm, or greater than or equal to 1950 mm.The mold may have a diameter of less than or equal to 2000 mm, less thanor equal to 1950 mm, less than or equal to 1900 mm, less than or equalto 1850 mm, less than or equal to 1800 mm, less than or equal to 1750mm, less than or equal to 1700 mm, less than or equal to 1650 mm, lessthan or equal to 1600 mm, less than or equal to 1550 mm, less than orequal to 1500 mm, less than or equal to 1450 mm, less than or equal to1400 mm, less than or equal to 1350 mm, less than or equal to 1300 mm,less than or equal to 1250 mm, less than or equal to 1200 mm, less thanor equal to 1150 mm, less than or equal to 1100 mm, less than or equalto 1050 mm, less than or equal to 1000 mm, less than or equal to 950 mm,less than or equal to 900 mm, less than or equal to 850 mm, less than orequal to 800 mm, less than or equal to 750 mm, less than or equal to 700mm, less than or equal to 650 mm, less than or equal to 600 mm, lessthan or equal to 550 mm, less than or equal to 500 mm, less than orequal to 450 mm, or less than or equal to 400 mm. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 350 mm and less than or equal to 2000 mm). Other ranges are alsopossible. As used herein, the diameter of a mold is given its ordinarymeaning for substantially cylindrical molds. The diameter of a mold witha non-cylindrical shape is the diameter of a cylindrical mold with thesame height and volume as the mold with the non-cylindrical shape.

In some embodiments, a mold may have a height of greater than or equalto 100 mm, greater than or equal to 200 mm, greater than or equal to 300mm, greater than or equal to 400 mm, greater than or equal to 500 mm,greater than or equal to 600 mm, greater than or equal to 700 mm,greater than or equal to 800 mm, or greater than or equal to 900 mm. Themold may have a height of less than or equal to 1000 mm, less than orequal to 900 mm, less than or equal to 800 mm, less than or equal to 700mm, less than or equal to 600 mm, less than or equal to 500 mm, lessthan or equal to 400 mm, less than or equal to 300 mm, or less than orequal to 200 mm. Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are alsopossible (e.g., greater than or equal to 100 mm and less than or equalto 1000 mm). Other ranges are also possible.

The mold may be formed of any suitable material used in the artincluding metals such as aluminum and iron, and steel alloys such asstainless steel.

As described above, in certain embodiments a system may comprise a moldsupport. The mold support may be adapted and arranged to support themold inside the deposition chamber. In general, any suitable supportingdevice may be used including clamping devices. In some cases, it may bepreferable for the supporting device to be adjustable to accommodatemolds having different sizes (e.g., tire molds having different sizes).That is, the supporting device may be designed to support molds having arange of sizes.

In some cases, the mold support is capable of clamping the mold piece.The mold support may be formed of extruded metal (e.g., aluminum)pieces. The pieces may have at least one cooling channel formed therein.The cooling channel(s), for example, extend(s) the length of theextruded piece and may be formed during the extrusion process. Thepieces may also include a groove to facilitate attachment. The piecesmay have any suitable length including greater than 4 inches, greaterthan 15 inches, greater than 25 inches, or greater than 40 inches. Thepieces may be curved to conform to the shape of the mold using standardtechniques (e.g., rolling). The supporting device may include multiplepieces arranged to extend around different portions of the mold in orderto uniformly cool the mold and to provide sufficient support. The piecesmay be supported at their back surfaces by a clamp or by attachment toother components of the apparatus (e.g., vacuum chamber). The moldsupport may have one or more advantageous features, such as having asimple structure and utilizing inexpensive and readily availableextruded metal pieces (e.g., aluminum). Those of ordinary skill in theart know the meaning of, and can identify, extruded metal pieces.

In some embodiments, a mold support may be adapted and arranged toposition a mold within the system at a desired location. For example,the mold support may be adapted and arranged to position the mold arounda central axis of the system, or around the filament assembly.

It may also be preferable for a mold support to be capable of heatingand/or cooling the mold surface. When cooling is desired, the supportingdevice may be formed of a thermally conductive material (e.g., metalssuch as aluminum) which can be cooled using conventional techniques. Forexample, the supporting device may include channels through whichcooling fluid flows. It may be advantageous to cool the mold duringcoating formation in order to promote deposition of the gaseous speciesonto the mold. It may be advantageous to pre-heat the mold prior tocoating. The mold may be heated by one or more of infrared heating,resistive current heating, and heating by flowing a heat transfer fluid(e.g., an oil) proximate to the mold and/or mold support. In someembodiments, the mold support may be capable of heating or cooling themold to a temperature of greater than or equal to 0° C., greater than orequal to 25° C., greater than or equal to 50° C., greater than or equalto 75° C., greater than or equal to 100° C., greater than or equal to125° C., greater than or equal to 150° C., greater than or equal to 175°C., greater than or equal to 200° C., greater than or equal to 225° C.,greater than or equal to 250° C., greater than or equal to 275° C.,greater than or equal to 300° C., greater than or equal to 325° C.,greater than or equal to 350° C., greater than or equal to 375° C.,greater than or equal to 400° C., greater than or equal to 425° C.,greater than or equal to 450° C., or greater than or equal to 475° C. Insome embodiments, the mold support may be capable of heating or coolingthe mold to a temperature of less than or equal to 500° C., less than orequal to 475° C., less than or equal to 450° C., less than or equal to425° C., less than or equal to 400° C., less than or equal to 375° C.,less than or equal to 350° C., less than or equal to 325° C., less thanor equal to 300° C., less than or equal to 275° C., less than or equalto 250° C., less than or equal to 225° C., less than or equal to 200°C., less than or equal to 175° C., less than or equal to 150° C., lessthan or equal to 125° C., less than or equal to 100° C., less than orequal to 75° C., less than or equal to 50° C., or less than or equal to25° C. Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible(e.g., greater than or equal to 0° C. and less than or equal to 500°C.). Other ranges are also possible.

As described above, certain systems may comprise a deposition chamber.The deposition chamber may be adapted and arranged to contain the moldand the filament array. In some embodiments, the deposition chamber maybe capable of being disposed on the mold support, and/or of forming avacuum-tight seal with the mold support.

A deposition chamber as described herein may have any suitable diameter.In some embodiments, the diameter of the deposition chamber is greaterthan or equal to 30 inches, greater than or equal to 40 inches, greaterthan or equal to 50 inches, or greater than or equal to 60 inches, orgreater than or equal to 70 inches. In some embodiments, the diameter ofthe deposition chamber is less than or equal to 80 inches, less than orequal to 70 inches, less than or equal to 60 inches, less than or equalto 50 inches, or less than or equal to 40 inches. Combinations of theabove-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g., greater than or equalto 30 inches and less than or equal to 80 inches). Other ranges are alsopossible. As used herein, the diameter of a deposition chamber is givenits ordinary meaning for substantially cylindrical deposition chamber.It should be appreciated that deposition chambers may have other shapesthat are not substantially cylindrical. In such cases, the diameter ofthe deposition chamber is the diameter of a deposition chamber with thesame height and volume as the deposition chamber with thenon-cylindrical shape.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a deposition chamber may beadapted and arranged to be held under vacuum, or at a pressure belowatmospheric pressure. The deposition chamber may be held at a pressureof less than or equal to 500 Torr, less than or equal to 200 Torr, lessthan or equal to 100 Torr, less than or equal to 50 Torr, less than orequal to 20 Torr, less than or equal to 10 Torr, less than or equal to 5Torr, less than or equal to 2 Torr, less than or equal to 1 Torr, lessthan or equal to 0.5 Torr, less than or equal to 0.2 Torr, less than orequal to 0.1 Torr, less than or equal to 0.05 Torr, less than or equalto 0.02 Torr, less than or equal to 0.01 Torr, less than or equal to0.005 Torr, less than or equal to 0.002 Torr, or less than or equal to0.001 Torr. The deposition chamber may be held at a pressure of greaterthan or equal to 0.0005 Torr, greater than or equal to 0.001 Torr,greater than or equal to 0.002 Torr, greater than or equal to 0.005Torr, greater than or equal to 0.01 Torr, greater than or equal to 0.02Torr, greater than or equal to 0.05 Torr, greater than or equal to 0.1Torr, greater than or equal to 0.2 Torr, greater than or equal to 0.5Torr, greater than or equal to 1 Torr, greater than or equal to 2 Torr,greater than or equal to 5 Torr, greater than or equal to 10 Torr,greater than or equal to 20 Torr, greater than or equal to 50 Torr,greater than or equal to 100 Torr, or greater than or equal to 200 Torr.Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g.,greater than or equal to 0.0005 Torr and less than or equal to 500Torr). Other ranges are also possible.

In some embodiments, a system may comprise a deposition chamber that isadapted and arranged to be translated vertically. The deposition chambermay be capable of being positioned adjacent a mold support, and may becapable of being positioned above a mold support or above a positionwhere a mold support could be located.

The deposition chamber may be formed of any suitable material used inthe art including metals such as aluminum, and steel alloys such asstainless steel.

As described above, certain embodiments relate to systems comprising oneor more gas inlet ports. References to gas inlet ports herein should beunderstood to refer to a gas inlet port that contains a single gas inletor to refer to gas inlet ports that comprise at least two gas inlets.The gas inlet port may be adapted and arranged to introduce a gaseousspecies into the deposition chamber. While the gas inlet port may bepositioned in any suitable portion of the system, in some embodiments itmay be beneficial for the gas inlet port to be positioned in a lowerportion of the system. For example, the gas inlet port may pass througha mold support, or may be positioned beneath an aperture in a moldsupport. Without wishing to be bound by theory, many gaseous speciestypically rise naturally due to buoyancy, and so gas inlet portspositioned in a location that is lower than the filament assembly andthat cause the gaseous species to flow upwards may have certainadvantages. These advantages may include, for example, a higher degreeof laminar flow and/or a reduction in the level of particulates incoatings. As another example, gaseous species flowing downwards mayreact to form particles during flow that may then fall and be caught onthe mold surface, which can result in an undesirable lack of uniformityin the coatings. The gas inlet port may be positioned at any locationwith respect to a central axis of the system. In some embodiments, thegas inlet port is positioned between a third frame portion of thefilament assembly and the filament array.

In some embodiments, the gas inlet port may include at least two gasinlets to promote distribution of the gaseous species around the moldsurfaces to be coated. In some embodiments, the gas inlets may form thesame non-planar shape as the mold and/or filament array. The gas inletsmay have the same shape as a cross-section of the mold and/or filamentarray (e.g., a cross-section perpendicular to a direction of flow of thegaseous species through the deposition chamber, a cross-sectionperpendicular to the plurality of filaments). In some embodiments, thegas inlets may form a structure with an annular shape. However, othershapes are also be possible. The gas inlets may be disposed in a gasinlet port that has a series of small holes in its outer surface throughwhich gas passes. The number and position of the holes is preferablyselected so that the flow rate of gas is relatively uniform over theentire area of the gas inlet port. The selection of the number andposition of holes may depend on process parameters (e.g., temperatureand pressure, amongst others), as known to those of ordinary skill inthe art. In certain embodiments, the apparatus may include a flow ratecontroller to provide additional control over the gas flow rate.

A gas inlet port may introduce gas at any suitable flow rate. In someembodiments, the gas inlet port may introduce gas at a flow rate ofbetween 0.1 sccm and 10,000 sccm.

As described above, certain embodiments relate to systems that maycomprise a gas outlet port. References to gas outlet ports herein shouldbe understood to refer to a gas outlet port that contains a single gasoutlet or to refer to gas outlet ports that comprise at least two gasoutlets. The gas outlet port allows the removal of gas that has passedthrough the deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the gas outlet portmay be positioned advantageously with respect to one or more othersystem components. As an example, the gas outlet port may be positionedbetween the mold and the deposition chamber. As another example, the gasoutlet port may be positioned symmetrically with respect to a filamentassembly, symmetrically with respect to a filament array, and/orsymmetrically with respect to a mold. In certain cases, one or moregaseous species may flow relatively uniformly through the gas outletport and/or any gas outlets therein. In some embodiments, a gas outletport may comprise at least two gas outlets, and the flow through eachgas outlet may be substantially the same.

As described above, in certain embodiments a system may comprise one ormore baffles to direct flow of a gaseous species through a depositionchamber. Baffles may be any suitable structures which affect thedirection of gas flow, such as portions of walls, flaps, and the like.In some embodiments, the system may comprise baffles adapted andarranged to direct the flow of the gaseous species to an outlet such asa gas outlet port. These baffles may comprise portions of an uppersurface of the deposition chamber and/or outer walls of the depositionchamber.

Some embodiments relate to a system capable of being used continuouslyor semi-continuously. Systems capable of being used continuously orsemi-continuously may be capable of performing two or more functionssimultaneously and/or may be capable of performing any individualfunction for a given period of time without significant interruption.For example, a system may be capable of allowing an operator to preparea first mold to be coated, remove a first mold that has been coatedpreviously, and/or remove a used filament assembly while also depositinga coating onto a second mold. Preparing a first mold to be coated maycomprise assembling the mold, positioning a mold on a mold support,preparing a filament assembly (e.g., by stringing a filament wirebetween a first frame portion and a second frame portion), and/orpositioning a filament assembly on a mold support. As another example, asystem may be capable of coating molds over a period of time of at least10 minutes, at least 20 minutes, at least 30 minutes, at least 60minutes, at least 90 minutes, at least 120 minutes, at least 150minutes, at least 180 minutes, at least 210 minutes, at least 240minutes, or at least 270 minutes with an average or total down time ofless than or equal to 5 minutes. The system may be capable of coatingsmolds over a period of time of less than or equal to 300 minutes, lessthan or equal to 270 minutes, less than or equal to 240 minutes, lessthan or equal to 210 minutes, less than or equal to 180 minutes, lessthan or equal to 150 minutes, less than or equal to 120 minutes, lessthan or equal to 90 minutes, less than or equal to 60 minutes, less thanor equal to 30 minutes, or less than or equal to 20 minutes with anaverage or total down time of less than or equal to 5 minutes.Combinations of the above-referenced ranges are also possible (e.g.,greater than or equal to 10 minutes and less than or equal to 300minutes). Other ranges are also possible. Systems capable of continuousor semi-continuous use may result in large increases in efficiency,because tasks that would otherwise need to be performed serially can beperformed simultaneously. For instance, such systems may be able to coatmolds at a higher rate than otherwise equivalent systems not capable ofcontinuous or semi-continuous use, and/or may have a total or averagedown time of less than or equal to one third of otherwise equivalentsystems not capable of continuous or semi-continuous use.

FIG. 10A-FIG. 10G show one non-limiting example of a system capable ofbeing used continuously or semi-continuously. FIG. 11 shows a linedrawing of an exemplary system capable of being used continuously. InFIG. 10A, system 5000 comprises first mold support 110 in first position810, and deposition chamber 500 and second mold support 120 in secondposition 820. The deposition chamber is disposed on the second moldsupport, as would be the case during a coating process. Although FIG.10A shows a filament assembly and a mold disposed on the mold support,it should be understood that this is not required. It should also beunderstood that neither a mold nor a filament assembly, one of a moldand a filament assembly, or both a mold and a filament assembly may bedisposed on the first mold support when it is in the first positionand/or when it is in the second position. Similarly, neither a mold nora filament assembly, one of a mold and a filament assembly, or both amold and a filament assembly may be disposed on the second mold supportwhen it is in the second position and/or when it is in the thirdposition (e.g., as shown in FIG. 10C-FIG. 10E). It should also beunderstood that FIG. 10A-FIG. 10G show one exemplary method of using asystem with translatable mold supports, but other methods are alsopossible. For example, certain methods comprise a subset of the stepsshown in FIG. 10A-FIG. 10G, such as the steps shown in FIG. 10A-FIG.10D.

FIG. 10B shows a system 5000 at a point in time after FIG. 10A. In FIG.10B, the coating process has completed and the deposition chamber hasbeen raised above the second mold support. At this point in time, thesecond mold support may be translated to the third position (position830 in FIG. 10B). It should be understood that although FIG. 10B showsfirst, second, and third positions that are linearly aligned, otherembodiments are also contemplated. For example, the three positions mayform a 120 degree angle, a 90 degree angle, a 60 degree angle a 45degree angle, or any other suitable angle.

FIG. 10C shows system 5000 after the second mold support has beentranslated to the third position and the first mold support has beentranslated to the second position. At this point in time, as shown inFIG. 10D, the deposition chamber may be lowered onto the first moldsupport and a mold disposed on the first mold support may be coated.During the coating the process for the first mold disposed on the firstmold support, the now-coated second mold may be removed from the secondmold support while the second mold support is in the third position. Insome embodiments, the filament assembly may be removed from the secondmold support while the second mold support is in the third position andwhile the first mold is being coated. After this step, optionally, a newuncoated mold (e.g., a third mold) may be positioned on the nowunoccupied second mold support. The new uncoated mold may, in somecases, be positioned on a mold support lacking a filament assembly. Insome embodiments, a new filament assembly may be positioned on the nowunoccupied mold support (e.g., in addition to, or instead of, a newuncoated mold), and/or on a mold support lacking a filament assembly(e.g., a mold support comprising a new, uncoated mold but lacking afilament assembly).

Once the first mold has been coated, the second mold support may betranslated to the second position and the first mold support may betranslated to the first position to begin the process anew. These stepsare shown in FIG. 10E-FIG. 10G.

Although FIG. 10A-FIG. 10G depict a system including two mold supportsand three positions, it should be understood that further mold supportsand further positions may also be possible. In some embodiments, asystem may comprise three mold supports and four positions, four moldsupports and five positions, or other higher numbers of molds andpositions. Two or more of the positions may be suitable for preparing amold for coating or removing a coated mold; one or more of the positionsmay be aligned with a deposition chamber and may be suitable for coatinga mold. As another example, the system may operate in an assembly linefashion. For example, a system may include five positions in a line,three of which are suitable for preparing molds for coating or removingcoated molds, and two of which are aligned with deposition chambers andare suitable for coating molds, as shown in FIG. 10H. In FIG. 10H,system 6000 includes first position 810, second position 820, thirdposition 830, fourth position 840, and fifth position 850. In someembodiments, the positions suitable for preparing molds may alternatewith the positions suitable for coating the molds. At any point in time,the two positions suitable for coating molds may be employed to coatmolds while the two of the three positions suitable for preparing moldsfor coating or removing coated molds may be used to do one or both ofthose tasks. Similarly, for systems with larger numbers of positions,some or all of the positions suitable for coating molds may be employedto coat the molds while a subset of the positions suitable for preparingmolds for coating or removing coated molds (e.g., all but one of thepositions suitable for preparing molds for coating or removing coatedmolds) may be used to do one or both of these tasks. In this manner,multiple molds may be coated and prepared at once in a continuous or asemi-continuous process.

In some embodiments, one or more methods may be performed by employingthe systems described herein. For example, a conformal coating may beformed on a mold by flowing a gaseous species parallel to a plurality offilaments in a filament array. A conformal coating comprising a reactionproduct formed from the gaseous species, such as a polymer, may bedeposited onto the mold to form a conformally-coated mold. In someembodiments, methods for forming coatings described herein may use atleast 50% less precursor than other methods for forming coatings.

In some embodiments, coatings may comprise or be formed of a polymer,such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and/or may be very thin (e.g.,50 microns or less). The coatings may facilitate the release of articlesformed in the mold and may also reduce, or eliminate, the buildup ofcontaminants on mold surfaces during processing which, thus, increasesmold lifetime. In some embodiments, the coatings may be formed bypolymerizing the gaseous species. One or more of an initiated chemicalvapor deposition (i-CVD) process, a physical vapor deposition process,and a spray coating process may be employed to deposit and/or form thepolymer. Non-limiting types of suitable chemical vapor depositionprocesses include hot filament plasma processes, pulsed plasmaprocesses, remote plasma processes, ALCVD, thermal CVD, MOCVD, VPE, andPICVD. Non-limiting examples of suitable physical vapor depositionprocesses include sputtering, non-reactive ALD, electron beamevaporation, cathode arc evaporation, laser evaporation, andsublimation. The process conditions during coating formation may beselected to enable formation of uniform, conformal coatings, even onmold portions including mold features having small widths and/or highaspect ratios. The coatings are particularly well suited to be used inconnection with rubber tire molds, though also can be used in othertypes of molds and other types of articles.

In some cases, the coating may be formed of any suitable polymericmaterial. Examples of coating materials include polymeric materials suchas fluorocarbon polymeric materials (e.g., PTFE), polyoxymethylene,crosslinked siloxanes, vinyl polymers (e.g., methacrylates, acrylates,styrenic polymers) and co-polymers of these materials. Suitable coatingmaterial compositions have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.5,888,591 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, it may be particularly preferred for the coatingmaterial to comprise one or more fluorine-containing monomers, and/or tocomprise PTFE. Fluorine- and PTFE-coating materials may be particularlywell-suited in providing the above-described advantages includingincreasing lubricity (e.g., by reducing coefficient of friction of moldsurface), enhancing release from the mold surface, reducing theformation of contamination on mold surfaces, enhancing chemicalresistance, and/or lowering surface energy. For example, in theseembodiments, the compositional CF₂ fraction (i.e., atomic fraction) ofthe coating material may be at least about 50%; in some cases, at leastabout 75%; in some cases, at least about 90%; and, in some cases, atleast about 95%. In some of these embodiments, the fluorine to carbonratio (F/C ratio) is between about 1.1/1 to 2.2:1. In some cases, thecoating material consists essentially of PTFE, or consists of PTFE. Insome embodiments, the coating material compositions (e.g., PTFEcompositions) are formed during deposition and do not need to undergoadditional steps (e.g., curing) to form the final composition. Thus,these coating materials may be un-cured.

The coating may have any suitable thickness, though in certainembodiments, it is preferable that the coating is very thin. Forexample, the coating may have a thickness of less than 50 microns. Insome embodiments, it is preferable that the coating be even thinner. Forexample, the coating may have a thickness of less than 25 microns; athickness of less than 10 microns; a thickness of less than 5 microns; athickness of less than 2 microns; and, even, a thickness of less than 1micron. In some cases, it may be preferable for the coating to have athickness of greater than 10 nm (or greater than 100 nm), for example,to ensure sufficient coverage. It should be understood, however, thatother thicknesses may be suitable.

Advantageously, coating methods as described herein can provide coatingsthat strongly adhere to mold surfaces. Such adherence enhances theability to coat mold features having small cross-sectional widths and/orhigh aspect ratios.

In some embodiments, it is preferable that the coating be formed onsubstantially the entire mold surface area. That is, substantially allof the area of the mold surfaces that defines the mold cavity is coated.However, in certain embodiments, only a portion of the mold surface iscoated.

The processes described herein include certain initiated chemical vapordeposition (iCVD) processes. iCVD processes have been described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,888,591 which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. In general, iCVD processes have different process steps thanother conventional CVD processes which may involve heating the substratewhich is coated (e.g., the mold) and/or a plasma to generate reactivespecies, amongst other differences. One advantage of the iCVD process isthat the process does not involve “line-of-sight” deposition and that,instead, reactive species are free to penetrate and conform to smallfeatures. iCVD processes are also very well suited to form polymericmaterial coatings, and in particular the PTFE material coatingsdescribed above.

The feed gas composition depends on the composition of the coating beingdeposited. When forming a fluorocarbon polymeric material, such as PTFE,suitable feed gases include those that decompose (or pyrolyze) to formfluorocarbon (e.g., CF₂) monomer units. Examples of feed gases thatdecompose to form CF₂ monomer units include C₃F₆O (HFPO orhexafluoropropylene oxide), C₂F₄, C₃F₈, CF₃H, CF₂H₂, CF₂N₂(difluordiaxirine), CF₃COCF₃, CF₂ClCOCF₂Cl, CF₂ClCOCFCl₂, CF₃COOH,difluorohalomethanes such as CF₂Br, CF₂HBr, CF₂HCl, CF₂Cl₂ and CF₂FCl,difluorocyclopropanes such as C₃F₆, C₃F₄H₂, C₃F₂Cl₄, C₂F₃Cl₃ andC₃F₄Cl₂, trifluoromethylfluorophosphanes such as (CF₃)₃PF₃, (CF₃)₃PF₃,and (CF₃)PF₄; or trifluoromethylphosphino compounds such as (CF₃)₃P,(CF₃)₂P—P(CF₃)₂, (CF₃)₂PX and CF₃PX₂, wherein X is F, Cl or H. In someembodiments, it may be preferable to use HFPO feed gas. It is also bepossible to use mixtures of the feed gases described above. In somecases, an inert gas (nitrogen, argon) may be added to the feed gas;though, it may be preferable not to add an inert gas to certain feedgases (e.g., HFPO). It should be understood that other feed gases mayalso be suitable.

The feed gas is introduced into the chamber at a desired flow rate.Suitable flow rates may be between about 0 sccm and 5000 sccm; and, moretypically, between about 200 sccm and 5000 sccm. The specific flow ratemay depend on a variety of factors including other processing parameters(e.g., chamber pressure), the geometry of the coating apparatus, as wellas the desired properties of the coating. During the deposition process,the partial pressure of the feed gas is preferably kept to asufficiently low level that prevents homogeneous gas-phase reactions,which could form particles in the gaseous environment rather than acoating on the mold surface.

In general, the feed gas is heated to a temperature sufficient todecompose (or pyrolyze) to form the desired monomer units. As notedabove, a heat source (e.g., a filament) may be used to heat the feedgas. Typical heat source temperatures are between about 200° C. andabout 800° C. In some cases, the heat source temperature is greater thanabout 350° C. It is generally preferable that the temperature of afilament heat source is set to be less than that which causes thermionicemission from the filament.

In general, the mold surface is maintained at a lower temperature thanthe heat source and the feed gas. Such temperature conditions promoteformation of a coating having the desired characteristics. For example,the mold surface may be maintained at a temperature of less than about200° C., in some cases, less than about 100° C. In some methods, it maybe preferable for the temperature of the mold to be between about 10° C.and about 30° C. (e.g., 20° C.). As noted above, the mold surface may becooled to achieve such temperature conditions.

The reaction conditions are maintained to provide a coating having thedesired thickness and other characteristics. The thickness of thecoating may be monitored by a sensor placed within the chamber.

In certain methods, it may be preferable to include a post-depositionannealing step. The annealing step may relieve stress in the coating,passivate dangling bonds in the coating, enhance thermal stability ofthe coating, amongst other advantages. The annealing step may beperformed by heating the coating to a temperature between about 50° C.and 400° C. In some methods, the annealing step may be performed in thepresence of air or an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen). The annealing step maybe conducted in-situ in the coating apparatus.

In some embodiments, it may be preferable to treat a mold surface priorto coating deposition to promote adhesion of the monomer units.Pre-treatment may include cleaning the mold to remove mold debris, suchas by exposing the mold surface to a plasma, exposing the mold surfaceto high pressure CO₂, performing a laser cleaning process, and/orperforming a wet sonication process. In some embodiments, a mold surfacemay be substantially free of debris from prior molding cycles, lubes,oils, greases, and/or other materials that might reduce the adhesionbetween the coating and the mold. In some embodiments, a mold may betreated by drying the mold, such as by exposure to air and/or exposureto an elevated temperature. In some embodiments, treating the moldsurface may comprise spraying an adhesion promoting layer on the moldsurface. In some methods, an adhesion promoting layer can bevapor-deposited in situ in the deposition chamber prior to deposition ofthe coating (e.g., fluorocarbon). Examples of suitable adhesionpromoters include 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane;1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane; 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluoroalkyltriethoxysilane; perfluorooctyltriclorosilane; andall classes of vinyl silanes. It should be understood that otheradhesion promoters known to those skilled in the art may also besuitable. In some embodiments, it may be desirable not to have anadhesion promoting layer and that the coating is deposited directly onthe mold surfaces.

Example 1

This Example compares the amount of time in which a coating may bedeposited on a surface of a mold when employing a system describedherein comprising two translatable mold supports to the amount of timerequired to deposit a coating on a surface of a mold when employing asystem lacking translatable mold supports.

A system for depositing a coating on a surface of a mold describedherein comprising two translatable mold supports was employed to removea coated mold and then deposit a coating on a surface of an uncoatedmold. The entire process took 112.5 minutes. Each step performed and theamount of time it took are listed below in Table 1. The steps are listedin the order in which they were performed.

TABLE 1 Step Time Open chamber 45 seconds Move coated mold to loadposition 30 seconds Move uncoated mold to process position 30 secondsClose chamber 45 seconds Pump down, coat uncoated mold, 110 minutes andthen vent the system

A system lacking translatable mold supports was used to perform the sameprocess. The system lacking translatable mold supports does not allow anoperator to prepare one mold to be coated while another mold is beingcoated, and so, when operated continuously, requires that both apreviously-coated mold be removed from the system and an uncoated moldbe prepared for coating prior to coating the uncoated mold. The entireprocess took 128 minutes on the system lacking translatable moldsupports. Each step performed and the amount of time it took are listedbelow in Table 2. The steps are listed in the order in which they wereperformed.

TABLE 2 Step Time Open chamber 1 minute Remove filament 1 minute Removecoated mold 7 minutes Load uncoated mold 7 minutes Load filament 1minute Close lid 1 minute Pump down, coat uncoated mold, 110 minutes andthen vent the system

While several embodiments of the present invention have been describedand illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readilyenvision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing thefunctions and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of theadvantages described herein, and each of such variations and/ormodifications is deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatall parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations describedherein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters,dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon thespecific application or applications for which the teachings of thepresent invention is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize,or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, manyequivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention describedherein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoingembodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within thescope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, the invention maybe practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Thepresent invention is directed to each individual feature, system,article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, anycombination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials,kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials,kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included withinthe scope of the present invention.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when usedin conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer,in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other thanB); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when usedin the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactlyone element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or”as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or“exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims,shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one stepor act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarilylimited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method arerecited.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases,respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual ofPatent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

1. A system for depositing a coating on a surface of a mold, comprising:a deposition chamber; a mold support adapted and arranged to support themold in the deposition chamber; a gas inlet port adapted and arranged tointroduce a gaseous species into the deposition chamber; and a filamentassembly, wherein the filament assembly comprises: a first frameportion; a second frame portion; a third frame portion positionedbetween and connecting the first frame portion and the second frameportion; and a plurality of filaments extending between the first frameportion and the second frame portion to form a non-planar filamentarray, wherein the filament array, the filament assembly, and the gasinlet are positioned so to cause the gaseous species to flow in adirection substantially parallel to each of the plurality of filamentsin the filament array, and wherein the gas inlet port and the firstframe portion are positioned to cause the gaseous species to flow fromthe gas inlet port upwards to the first frame portion, laterally acrossthe first frame portion, upwards, and then out of the deposition chamberthrough a gas outlet port positioned between the mold and the depositionchamber.
 2. (canceled)
 3. A system for depositing a coating onto asurface of a mold, comprising: a deposition chamber adapted and arrangedto contain a first mold or a second mold; a first mold support adaptedand arranged to support the first mold, wherein the first mold supportis translatable from a first position to a second position, and whereinthe second position is aligned with the deposition chamber; a secondmold support adapted and arranged to support the second mold, whereinthe second mold support is translatable from a third position to thesecond position; a gas inlet port adapted and arranged to introduce agaseous species into the deposition chamber; and a filament assembly,wherein the filament assembly comprises: a first frame portion; a secondframe portion; a third frame portion positioned between and connectingthe first frame portion and the second frame portion; and a plurality offilaments extending between the first frame portion and the second frameportion to form a non-planar filament array, wherein the filaments areconnected to a DC voltage source and an electrical ground.
 4. A methodfor forming a conformal coating on a mold, comprising: flowing a gaseousspecies parallel to the plurality of filaments in the system of claim 1;and depositing a conformal coating onto the mold, wherein the coatingcomprises a polymer formed from the gaseous species.
 5. A system as inclaim 1, wherein the third frame portion is positioned at a distance ofbetween about 1.5 and 5.0 inches away from the filament array.
 6. Asystem as in claim 1, wherein the mold is a tire mold.
 7. A system as inclaim 1, wherein the mold is positioned concentrically around thefilament assembly. 8-9. (canceled)
 10. A system as in claim 1, whereinthe mold comprises one or more vent ports.
 11. A system as in claim 10,wherein the vent ports are not substantially occluded during depositionof the conformal coating.
 12. A system as in claim 1, wherein thedeposition chamber is adapted and arranged to be held at a pressurebelow atmospheric pressure.
 13. A system as in claim 1, wherein thedeposition chamber is adapted and arranged to be translated vertically.14. (canceled)
 15. A system as in claim 1, wherein the depositionchamber is adapted and arranged to be positioned around the mold. 16.(canceled)
 17. A system as in claim 1, wherein the filament assembly ispositioned concentrically around the third frame portion. 18-21.(canceled)
 22. A system as in claim 1, wherein the system furthercomprises one or more baffles adapted and arranged to direct the gaseousspecies to an outlet.
 23. A system as in claim 1, wherein the moldsupport is capable of heating the mold.
 24. A system as in claim 1,wherein the mold support is capable of cooling the mold.
 25. A system asin claim 1, wherein the mold support is adapted and arranged to becapable of forming a gas-tight seal with the deposition chamber. 26-28.(canceled)
 29. A system as in claim 1, wherein the filament assembly andthe gas inlet are positioned so to cause the gaseous species to flowupwards.
 30. A system as in claim 1, wherein the coating comprises apolymer.
 31. A system as in claim 30, wherein the polymer comprises oneor more fluorine-containing monomers. 32-33. (canceled)
 34. A system asin claim 1, wherein forming the coating comprises performing one or moreof a CVD process, a PVD process, and a spray coating process. 35-40.(canceled)
 41. A system as in claim 1, wherein the filaments areconfigured to provide a uniform elevated temperature in the vicinity ofthe mold.
 42. A system as in claim 1, wherein the filaments comprise oneor more highly resistant metals.
 43. A system as in claim 1, wherein thefilaments are connected to a DC voltage source and an electrical ground.44. A system as in claim 1, wherein the gas inlet port is positionedbeneath the first frame portion and the second frame portion.
 45. Asystem as in claim 1, wherein the filament array, the filament assembly,and the gas port are positioned so as to cause the flow of the gaseousspecies to have a donut-shaped cross-section.
 46. A system as in claim1, wherein the gas inlet port is positioned beneath the mold supportand/or passes through the mold support.